WE ARE GOING TO THE NBA FINALS BABY! Gosh, it's been awhile since I was able to exhuberate this much energy as a Laker fan. The Lakers showed the Jazz and little brother Clippers how it's done. They close out the Denver Nuggets with a 107-117 win to complete a third gentlemen's sweep to advance to the NBA Finals, their 32nd overall in franchise history.
First, hats off to the Denver Nuggets for a great series and an amazing postseason run. They have been resilient throughout these playoffs. Two consecutive 3-1 playoff series comebacks speak for themselves. They will be a dangerous team for years to come as Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic hit their primes. Michael Porter Jr. is a solid young piece to the core. Bol Bol has a lot of untapped potential. Will Barton should be back. And Mike Malone is a great coach. Full credit to them. They gave the Lakers all they can handle.
But right now, it's just not their time. The Lakers' veteran experience engineered by LeBron James took over. It was "winning time" as LeBron would say in Game 4 regarding his closeout assignment on Jamal Murray. Without question, he was the MVP of this game with a triple-double of 38 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists and barely turned the ball over this game.
Nikola Jokic being in foul trouble early on was big factor for 'Bron going off. He smelled "blood in the water" and just imposed his will into the paint as soon as Jokic was subbed off the floor. Not only that, but he recognized a hobbled Jamal Murray and forced that switch to have Murray guard him and it was a lot for Murray handle. LeBron was vintage especially in that 4th quarter with back-to-back and 1s. He completely took over in the final three minutes and sealed up this game.
As I said, this Nuggets team was not easy to take down. The Lakers did a good job defensively on them in the first half. Nobody on that Denver squad reached double digits in the first half! But in 3rd quarter, the Nuggets' role players stepped up. Jerami Grant struggled early, but caught fire that quarter. Dwight Howard's flagrant foul on Paul Millsap gave Denver even more momentum. Markieff Morris made a dumb turnover attempting to throw an outlet pass to AD. That allowed Denver to tie it up at 84 a piece.
But the Nuggets never saw the lead since starting 12-7 in the first quarter. After they rallied in the 3rd quarter, Anthony Davis made a last second three to allow the Lakers to regain a little bit of the momentum that was lost there. AD finished with 27 points to go with 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block. It was a frustrating first half for AD. But like he occasionally does through these playoffs, he shows up big in the 2nd half on both ends of the floor. Hobbled ankle and all, he still put up numbers.
The supporting cast overall stepped up even if they don't have gaudy numbers. Alex Caruso definitely stood out with 11 points off the bench. He was stagnant the last two games. But, he was much more active to score, cutting to the lane and converting defense to offense in transition. Despite the foul trouble and the flagrant foul, Dwight Howard gave a solid 9 points and 2 blocks in big minutes and he shot well from the free throw line. We harped on Danny Green too much. Even though he didn't erupt this game, he did all the little things, giving a pair of backbreaking 3s over the Nuggets and notching one of his two blocks on Jokic. The cast did all the little things that needed to be done.
Nothing more needs to be said. But bring on either Boston or Miami! Could you imagine if the NBA Bubble Restart to the 2019-20 season ended with a Lakers-Celtics Finals matchup? Think about it. It's the NBA's historic rivalry. It'll be a rematch 10 years in the making. The Celtics are the last team that the late great Kobe Bryant beat in the finals. Winning against them for championship #17 would be poetic justice as the Lakers would tie them for the most championships in NBA history.
But the reality is, Boston has their work cut out against a very unselfish Miami Heat team. Despite being the 5th seed, they have outclassed every team in the East, especially knocking off the mighty Milwaukee Bucks. Bam Adebayo is cementing himself as one of the league's best big man. Tyler Herro looks like a seasoned vet than a rookie. Goran Dragic has been big in this postseason. Jimmy gets buckets. They made a huge move to add Andre Iguodala for championship pedigree. That team is lowkey deep.
Regardless, either team is an interesting matchup for the Lakers. One matchup is prestigious in the league's history. The other doesn't have as much prestige, but there are legacy storylines that will be explored. Especially the same 10 years ago, LeBron ushered in a new era of super teams by "taking his talents to South Beach." The Heat groomed him into a champion. It might potentially come full circle. But for now, the Lakers are back where they belong and are four wins away from regaining basketball immortality. Let's get it! Let's go!
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